6000+ Dog Names

A Jada alternative that has lost ground this decade after peaking around 2010.

Kannon, the name of actor Kevin James' son born in 2011, seems at first glance to be a kre8if spelling of bad boy name Cannon. But Kannon is also the name of the Buddhist god (and sometime goddess) of mercy and compassion, a very different image from the big gun. Either way, it made its way into the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013, and was one of the year's fastest-rising names.

Carlisle may be a male name in Twilight (he's vampire hero Edward's adoptive father), but in the real baby naming world, it's used about a quarter of the time for girls. Unusual now, we think Carlisle (or Carlyle) has the potential to be the next Carter.

Auric is an Ian Fleming anti-hero, better known as Goldfinger. Better to go with James. Or even Bond.

Americans might recognize Asuka as the stage name of WWE wrestler Kanako Urai.

Among the Choctaw, names were given after life achievements. Tashka would have been given to a warrior after a battle.

Starbaby name that might prove too supercharged for real life, but if like director Robert Rodriguez you're interested only in boys' names starting with R, you may need to add Rocket (and Rebel and Racer) to your list.

Now that Kenji is rising up the ranks, it's only a matter of time before parents discover Renji. Renji Abarai is a character in the anime series Bleach, in which the kanji used for his name mean "second love" or "second romance."

An attractive ancient Irish saint's name that conjures up a beacon of light, this Irish name for boys is well-used in Ireland but rarely heard in the US.

Gentry is a word name that's gaining ground for girls as a kind of updated Jennifer, especially in the Jentry (or Jentri or Jentree) spelling.

Welsh heritage choice that's rare today even in its native land.

Diarra has a nice meaning, but we could see it leading to possible teasing re association with a certain digestive problem.

The Reid spelling is surprisingly more popular than the naturey Reed for both boys and girls, though more than 95% of little Reids are male.

Old-fashioned nickname for Nora, Honora, Eleanor, Noreen... or any name with that "nor" sound.

Sevyn broke into the Top 1000 for girls in 2019, the same year that Seven crossed the threshold for boys. Ys are typically employed to make names more feminine, which is why many more girls were given the Sevyn spelling than boys. However, Sevyn also entered the charts for boys in 2022 and as of 2023, it was among the most popular gender-neutral names in the US. In fact, it just outranked Seven in the same year.

Yasuke was the first African samurai in Japan, who served as a retainer under Oda Nobunaga. He arrived in Japan in 1579 with Portuguese Jesuits and Italian Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano. Nobunaga took a special interest in Yasuke, who joined his force.

Though many might find it too syrupy, hundreds of parents each year choose this name for their daughters to make them feel special. Precious Ramotswe is the engaging African sleuth in the popular No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.

The name of the lead character -- a purple dragon -- in a long-running series of video games. Technically also a variant of the classic Greek name Spiro/Spyros.

Used in Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, this strong-sounding name belonged to a hero in Persian legend. Its derivation is unclear, but the consensus seems to be that it relates to the hero’s great size and strength, possibly from Avestan raodha "to grow" and takhma "strong, brave, valiant".

Attractive form still très Parisienne.